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Welcome to the IOL Sport live blog for the Springboks and the All Blacks highly anticipated Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry third Test at the iconic FNB Stadium in Soweto.
The Springboks levelled the series in last week in Cape Town after the All Blacks grabbed a 1-0 lead at Ellis Park. Now, it’s all to play for, as the winner of this Test is certain of at least a draw in the series.
With the fourth Test next week in Baltimore in the United States, this also the last Test on South African soil for 2026. Bok captain Siya Kolisi says they want to win in Soweto to thank the country for all their support.
Follow all the live action right here …
59th minute: The All Blacks and the Springboks trade tries, but Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s conversion of Jesse Kriel’s score gives the Springboks a 19-17 lead.
The Springboks withstood a proper storm from from the All Blacks, who are playing a big ball-in-hand game. Both teams scored two tries, with the Boks also showing that they can play with a bit of width.
The Springboks will be playing against the wind in the second half. That is going to be a tough task, having already lost Cheslin Kolbe in the first half through iunjury.
So close to one of the tries of the season 🤯🤏
📺 Stream #RugbysGreatestRivalry on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/3Rh9F0StJl
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) September 5, 2026
37th minute: The Springboks hit back by showing they can be dangerous with ball in hand themselves. After a lovely break from No 8 Jasper Wiese, and lovely hands from prop Ox Nche, replacement back Manie Libbok carried up the All Blacks’ line before the All Blacks were penalised.
The All Blacks lost Leroy Carter for 10 minutes for cynical play, and the Boks opted for a scrum. They then bulldozed the New Zealanders before being awarded a penalty try.
27th minute: The All Blacks a playing a very loose game, stretching the Boks around the park. South Africa doesn’t seem to have an answer for the All Blacks ball-carriers, missing many tackles before captain Ardie Savea extends their lead to 12-5
Look at the work by Damian de Allende 👏
KLA scores another in Green and Gold 🤩✨
📺 Stream #RugbysGreatestRivalry on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/xxsxqn6HVS
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) September 5, 2026
22nd minute: After weathering the storm, the Boks hit back with a try from Kurt-Lee Arendse after getting Feinberg-Mngomezulu back on the field.
Cheslin 🔀 Manie
Kolbe goes off for a Head Injury assessment 🤕
📺 Stream #RugbysGreatestRivalry on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/coWM0iAYOc
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) September 5, 2026
10th minute: The Springboks suffer a double blow with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu seeing yellow for a deliberate knockdown, while Cheslin Kolbe was taken off for a concussion test.
The All Blacks then take advantage of the man advantage with a converted try. Playing against the wind, that could be crucial for for the New Zealanders.
No changes this time around as Rassie Erasmus sticks to his team he named on Monday. The players are out on the pitch and warming up in the cold and windy conditions.
The FNB Stadium is filling up nicely although some people outside the stadium are still practicing their “scrum, scrum” chants in the mould of the Norwegian row one seen at the FIFA World Cup
1 hour, 30 minutes to kickoff: IOL Sport’s Mike Greenaway gives an update on the weather, fans flocking into the stadium and what to expect in the blustery conditions ahead of the third Test in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry at FNB Stadium in Soweto.
IOL Sport’s Mike Greenaway gives an update on the weather, fans flocking into the stadium and what to expect in the blustery conditions ahead of the third Test in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry at FNB Stadium in Soweto. More updates on 🌐https://t.co/DgYX6AjbKU #Springboks #AllBlacks pic.twitter.com/hb2VofGVXy
— IOL Sport (@IOLsport) September 5, 2026
2 hour to kickoff: Ardie Savea and Siya Kolisi are close friends. Heck, their children get on famously, but for 80 minutes at Soccer City on Saturday evening, the friendship will be on ice.
This was very much the case last week in Cape Town when Kolisi put Savea on his backside with a ferocious hit.
“I was lying on the ground, and all I could hear was my dad’s voice telling me to get up. So I got up. I told him there would be payback,” Savea said with a smile at his captain’s media conference on Friday.
“Siya’s the same guy off the field, we get on well, but once you’re on the field you’re locked in; he’s the enemy out there. That’s footy, we’re going to try and smash each other on Saturday, then jump on the plane again afterwards.”
2 hours, 30 minutes to kick-off: Soweto is the centre of the rugby universe on Saturday, as the Springboks and the All Blacks square up in the third of Test of the series and the Boks final match match on home soil for 2026.
“It’s sunny over the FNB Stadium but a strong wind blowing in and outside will certainly influence the game. No rain in sight at the moment.” – Leighton Koopman
“It’s a blustery afternoon at “The Calabash”, which could make kicking difficult. But the good news is that rain seems far away at this point and it is warming up quite nicely as the sun breaks through the cloud. So at this point we can expect a quick surface and a fast-paced match.” – Mike Greenaway
New Zealand head coach Dave Rennie sparked the fire by publicly questioning the Springboks’ scrum techniques in Cape Town, accusing the South African pack of deliberately “walking around” at the set-piece.
Erasmus, never one to back down, launched a furious, expletive-laden defense of his forwards. As Koopman pointed out during the discussion, the series is starting to suffer from this “manufactured drama”.
With Bok scrum guru Daan Human insisting their focus is purely on forward momentum rather than gamesmanship, the podcast crew urged both camps to leave the theatrics behind. As IOL Sport rugby writer Leighton Koopman fittingly wrote this week, it is time to shut out the noise and let the greatest rivalry in rugby do the talking.
The scene is set for a humdinger of a third Test between the Springboks and All Blacks in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry in Johannesburg on Saturday afternoon.
Following last weekend’s nail-biting clash in Cape Town, which resulted in victory for the Springboks, the series is delicately balanced at 1-1 after New Zealand won at Ellis Park in the first clash. Back on the Highveld, both teams will look for an edge to take the lead into the final Test in Baltimore, USA, next Saturday.
We preview five player battles that could shape the contest at the FNB Stadium in Soweto.
The Springbok Women know that one good half of rugby will not be enough to beat the Black Ferns at FNB Stadium on Saturday (1.30pm kick-off) — and history has already shown them why.
When South Africa faced New Zealand in last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Exeter, England, they went into half-time level with their opponents before the Black Ferns took control of the clash after the break to eventually win 46-17.
Vice-captain Libbie Janse van Rensburg believes the lesson from Exeter is still fresh almost a year later.
“We had a plan and it worked for the first half, when we were 10-10,” Janse van Rensburg said. “We did not maintain that composure in the second half and that allowed them to run away with it. We cannot afford just one half, we need to play equally well in both.”
That consistency will be central to South Africa’s hopes against a New Zealand side ranked second in the world.
The All Blacks are confident they have adapted enough to the altitude of Johannesburg, so much so that they spent half of this week preparing in Cape Town for the second Test.
Any other team in world rugby would’ve taken the first flight out on Sunday after that second match in Cape Town to adapt to what the thin air will ask of them on Saturday at FNB Stadium in Soweto (5.10pm kick-off).
However, the New Zealanders – having beaten the Springboks at Ellis Park in the opening match of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry – feel they are accustomed to what the height above sea level will ask of them. That is why head coach Dave Rennie allowed his players to spend more time in Cape Town, where they had the beach and ample support around them.
@iol.sport RAIN WON’T STOP THE RUGBY! 🇳🇿🇿🇦 Despite heavy rain in Soweto threatening the captain’s run, the iconic clash is 100% GOING AHEAD! Over 80,000 fans will still pack out FNB Stadium this Saturday as the Springboks take on the All Blacks in one of rugby’s legendary rivalries. Rain or shine, the show goes on! Who takes the win in the wet? 👇 #Springboks #AllBlacks #Rugby #FNBStadium #Soweto #IOLSport ♬ original sound – IOL Sport
The All Blacks have made no secret of how they intend to approach Saturday’s decisive Test against the Springboks at the FNB Stadium in Soweto, and Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick expects them to stick firmly to their attacking DNA.
New Zealand have shown throughout their tour that they want to keep the ball in play, and to challenge defensive structure with their attack, rather than simply kicking possession away. In the process they’ve scored nine tries in two Tests and their attack has proved difficult to contain, even for a defence as clinical as the Boks’.
With the series level at 1-all following the Springboks’ 33-26 victory in Cape Town last weekend, Stick believes the All Blacks will remain true to their approach. They brought in hooker Asafo Aumua, lock Sam Darry and flanker Peter Lakai known for their ball-carrying abilities into the starting team, while leaving the powerful replacements on the bench for the clash. READ MORE….
Siya Kolisi has issued a candid message ahead of Saturday’s third Test against the All Blacks: the Springboks are going for the series win — nothing less, and they will attack to win.
With Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry locked at 1–1, the Springbok captain says there will be no playing it safe at Soccer City as the world champions look to take control of the series and keep the Freedom Cup in South African hands.
“We want to win the series; we’re not playing to draw it,” Kolisi said on Friday. “We’re going to Soweto to try to win the game.”
The Boks have treated the series like a World Cup knockout campaign from the outset, according to Kolisi. After losing the opening Test at Ellis Park, they fought back to level the series in Cape Town last weekend.
Now they want to finish the job in South Africa before travelling to the USA to wrap up the series. READ MORE….
While Springbok selection usually favours continuity — especially during an intense four-match series against the All Blacks — Saturday’s starting lineup brings a remarkable twist: all 15 players hail from completely different high schools.
South Africa’s elite schoolboy rugby landscape is traditionally dominated by a select group of powerhouse institutions, often referred to as the “Big Five,” alongside a handful of regional giants. These traditional rugby factories consistently top national rankings and supply the bulk of international talent.
The “Big Five” typically includes Grey College (Bloemfontein), Paul Roos Gimnasium (Stellenbosch), Paarl Boys’ High (Paarl), Paarl Gimnasium (Paarl), and Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Pretoria).
Yet, Saturday’s team features only a single player from these historic strongholds: scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, an alumnus of Grey College.
Welcome to the IOL Sport live blog for the Springboks and the All Blacks highly anticipated Rugby's Greatest Rivalry third Test at the iconic FNB Stadium in Soweto.The Springboks levelled the series in last week in Cape Town after the All Blacks grabbed a 1-0 lead at Ellis Park. Now, it's all to play for, as the winner of this Test is certain of at least a draw in the series.With the fourth Test […]
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